As this delicate bloom of a Wild Rose Bush buds gracefully amongst the barbed wire on our fence, our beautiful children blossom in Casa Victoria, in the middle of a rough and problematic neighborhood.

Dear Faithful Donors and Supporters:

It´s been TWO whole years since I last sent you a newsletter about Casa Victoria!! We´ve been very busy doing God´s work here in San Roque, Old Town, Quito, and we are so grateful for EVERYTHING that He has given us these past 24 months, mainly, through friends such as you all.

So, today, we want to share a) some tender photo-stories, b) the inevitable finances, and, c) the most fun to report: fulfilled dreams.

A blessed Christmas to each and all of you, our faithful and loving supporters of Casa Victoria family.

With humble gratitude,Mamalicia and the Casa Victoria team and children

As you know, every afternoon from 2 to 5:30 pm, 40 to 50 eager and delightful children continue to come to their “segundo hogar”, second home, Casa Victoria. Why? Because here they find safety, joy, and living examples of service and love of Jesus in the volunteers that care for these children daily.

Remarkably, our patio and front yard, once barren and brown, have now many plants and bushes and trees that are blossoming and displaying a wondrous variety of many colored flowers, just as our diverse group of children show us God´s unique gifts to each.

These photos of the children above, and flowers, below, both growing in Casa Victoria, have been taken by Heidi Véliz, a resident volunteer at CV from Guayaquil.

FUN CASA VICTORIA ACTIVITIES

Last July, a group of friends from the Escuela Bíblica de Ecuador came to wash the feet of the children, and gift them with new shoes and socks. This was very special as several of the children have only ONE pair of shoes AND socks!

…And empty-nester friends who downsized from a large house and back yard complete with swing set, gave our children good cause for much joy and fun!

Two (very) short videos of our joyful and curious children during 1) a carpentry workshop; and 2) a lovely music ensemble who graciously came to Casa Victoria to show them the joys of live classical music and their “unusual” instruments.

THOSE INEVITABLE NUMBERS…

Throughout 2016, we struggled with fewer volunteers and fewer regular donations. We faced the challenge of continuing the Pizza Project, consisting of restoring, building, adapting the spacious “dungeon” in the basement of our 100 year-old house.

In 2017, the Lord heard our cry and we had more “one time” donations; also, more volunteers helping out, meaning less expenses to pay hired help.

This entire year, we ALL have served without any salaries. The difference is being used to help finish the pizzeria.

Our income for 2017 Casa Victoria was:

International Donations: $19,600

Ecuadorian Donations: $4,100

TOTAL: $23,700

Ecuadorian In-kind Donations: $7,800

Expenses for 2017 Casa Victoria:

Casa Victoria costs: $23,512

Pizzeria donations 2017: $8,000

Pizzeria building costs 2017: $10,890

Pizzeria finishings and equipping budget still needed: $3,000

FULFILLED DREAMS…. GOD´S PROVISION….

NEW EATING AREA FOR THE CHILDREN

No more eating on the steps outside…..

….Or when it rains, sitting on the floor of the corridors!

At long last, a comfortable, cheerful, with lots of natural light, and covered, EATING ROOM for the children!

Our brand new Eating Area was made possible last summer by the Lakes Free Church Mission Group of Lyndstorm MN. Children take turns voluntarily–accompanied here by our volunteers, Ted, and Dan– to give thanks to Jesus for the meal at the end of their day, 5pm.

This may very well be their only
hot meal of the day!

KIDS´SOCCER FIELD

Last year, a generous local construction company gave us one of the best gifts ever: synthetic turf for our soccer field!

Although small, (100 sq. mts) it is the delight of our children–AND volunteers–where they carry on some serious competitions!

OUR LONG AWAITED PIZZERIA….

For the past year, we have been preparing pizzas mostly for delivery to nearby institutions. Also, we have attended private groups at our pizzeria. All done with great willingness and care.

But only recently, we have had the good fortune of getting a professional to truly train workers and prepare the correct way, what will be our unique and most tasty pizzas!! He is Radu Gheorghita, a Cordon Blue Culinary School graduate, with over 6 years of restaurant managing and food preparation experience.

We delivered some free samples to an Institute of Higher Learning, located only three blocks from CV. Their 1200 students are anxiously waiting for our pizzeria to open soon!

PLEASE KNOW that without YOUR generous and continuing contributions, NONE of this would be possible for these children!
If you wish to make a special end-of-the-year tax-deductible donation to Casa Victoria, made possible through our sister Foundation, ECUADOR MI PAIS, a 501c3 Not for Profit in the USA, you can easily do so right now by clicking this PAYPAL button:

There is ONE VERY EASY and NO-COST-TO-YOU way to contribute: Amazon Smile. Click here and see how simple it is to sign in! Every time you make a purchase ALL YEAR ROUND, automatically Amazon gives a small % to us, through our sister Foundation, ECUADOR MI PAIS, a 501c3 Not for Profit, in the USA.